Ice dispenser bins are used in many situations, wherein ice is periodically made or generated and delivered or dropped into a storage bin, where it resides until the need arises to use the ice. In order to keep the ice pieces or particles from all adhering together into one large structure, it is known to agitate the ice. Generally, the ice pieces are dispensed from a lower location in the bin, to an upper location, to be discharged to bags, a cart, or other suitable container.
Because ice is delivered from an upper location to a lower location, to be later moved from a lower location to an upper location, it is known that there sometimes forms a bridge of ice pieces, inhibiting the delivery of ice from the upper location to the lower location.
It has become commonplace to periodically break up the bridge by reaching into the bin, manually, with a paddle, to strike the ice bridge and release the pieces or articles, to fall to the bottom of the bin.
In some cases, there is provided a drive for lifting ice from the bottom of the bin to the discharge, and when ice is thus being discharged, ice in the bin is simultaneously agitated to break up any bridge then forming, and to loosen ice particles so that they can fall to the bottom of the bin.
One disadvantage of such prior art type of devices is that they lack durability and require manual bridge-breaking intervention in order to keep the ice loose so the ice will properly dispense. Such manual agitation can create adverse sanitation problems.
Additionally, prior art ice dispensing equipment is often lacking in versatility.
Some users of ice dispensing equipment, such as supermarkets, purveyors of meat and fish and vegetables, desire the ability to fill large containers, rather than simply to fill bags of ice. For example, the ability to optionally fill carts as well as bags is a feature that has been missing from the art.